BRIDGEPORT—For 35 years, readers throughout Fairfield County looked for the familiar byline of Chris Elsberry in the Connecticut Post. He was known for his coverage of such momentous sporting events as the 1989 Little League World Series, when Trumbull defeated Taiwan in the championship game, and the World Series in San Francisco between the Oakland A’s and the Giants, when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck Candlestick Park.
An award-winning sportswriter and columnist, Elsberry has covered the New York Giants in two Super Bowls, the University of Connecticut in seven NCAA Women’s Final Fours, the Stanley Cup playoffs, World Cup soccer, seven Belmont Stakes, Fairfield University basketball—outlasting six coaches—and much more, everything from basketball to baseball, tennis, golf and lacrosse. And let’s not forget jai alai.
But there’s another side to this very popular sports columnist that few people know about: a spiritual side. Far from the crowded stadiums, the championship games, and the press conferences with pro sports figures, Elsberry is an all-around utility player at his parish, Our Lady of Good Counsel in Bridgeport.
He does it all. He opens the church, turns on the lights, sets up the candles and the altar for Mass, does readings, sings in the choir and produces the parish bulletin. All this in addition to regularly praying the Rosary on Tuesday nights with other parishioners and participating in online Zoom Bible study classes. Elsberry does it with joy and describes his parish as “a small community full of faith and full of love.”
Our Lady of Good Counsel ranks right up there with the greatest comeback stories ever. Built in 1950, the church was nearly closed three times but gained a new lease on life last year, when the Koinonia St. John the Baptist came to Bridgeport and set up shop at 163 Ortega Avenue.
The association of Christian faithful, recognized by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, is committed to spreading the Gospel as part of the New Evangelization. Koinonia is a Greek word that means “fellowship, sharing in common and communion,” and its mission is to promote the New Evangelization through activities, training programs and the formation of a community.
“It’s incredible to think the church nearly closed three times,” Elsberry said. “Then, the Koinonia came to bring a new ministry, and now this church is just going to keep on thriving. They bring a new spirit, and it’s a lot of fun to see how passionate they are because it gets us going too.”
His devotion to the parish began almost 40 years ago, when he and his wife, Lorelei, moved into a three-bedroom cape on Sylvan Avenue a few blocks away. He met long-time pastor, Father Martin Nicodem, otherwise known as Father Nick, and they became close friends.
He and Lorelei, who will celebrate their 42nd anniversary in June, are part of a small, committed group fondly known as “The Originals,” who were there from the beginning and whose perseverance and persistence have helped keep the doors open. The couple were also blessed to have their son Stephen and daughter Robyn receive First Communion and Confirmation at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
While Chris has his own regimen of responsibilities at the church, so does Lorelei, who helps with bake sales, tag sales and Sunday school.
“We started getting involved right away,” he recalls. “There’s not a ton of parishioners, but they are a family and volunteer for everything from pasta nights to cleaning the church and changing the altar. It warms my heart to see all this.”
While Elsberry’s faith has always been fundamental to his life, it took on renewed meaning when he returned to Connecticut.
“I was raised by parents, who sent me to Catholic school and taught me the straight and narrow,” he said. “They taught me to do the right things and not the wrong things. My father wasn’t a church-going man, but in his last days, he wanted to be buried in the Catholic Church in a Catholic cemetery … with bagpipes at the funeral.”
Chris was born in St. John’s Newfoundland, where his father was stationed at an army base. In later years, his family moved around while his father worked for General Electric. At one point, they lived outside Chicago, and Chris attended St. Joan of Arc School in Lisle.
He graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a degree in journalism and landed his first job at the Darien News in 1981, where he covered everything from police and the board of selectmen to local sports, in addition to taking photos. A year later, he moved to the Fairfield Citizen and began covering college sports.
In 1984, he took a job at the Connecticut Post—then the Bridgeport Post-Telegram—with a shift that went from midnight until 9 am. His responsibilities were as diverse as what he does at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
“I did everything,” he said, including putting the paper together and laying out the sports section. Eventually, he began writing and by 1997, he became one of the paper’s finest sports columnists, who throughout his career received dozens of regional and national writing awards.
Chris is currently working on a book about Manute Bol, a Sudanese-American professional basketball player who played for University of Bridgeport for one season in 1984-85. Bol led the team to the NCAA Division II New England Regional Tournament and is considered the most famous athlete in the history of the school.
At 7-foot-7, he was tied with Gheorghe Muresan for the recognition of being the tallest player in NBA history. He died at 47 in 2010 from acute kidney failure.
“Every game Manute Bol played was sold out,” Elsberry said. “That was such an incredible season for the school.”
Bol was also known for his political activism and is believed to have donated his entire career earnings of $3.8 million to charities in his native Sudan.
Elsberry’s first book, published in 2020, was the life story of famed St. Joseph High School coach Vito Montelli, who was known as “New England and Connecticut’s all-time winningest basketball coach.” Titled God, Family & Basketball: The 50-year career of St. Joseph High School coach Vito Montelli, the book captures the spirit of a man recognized for his values on and off the court.
When asked about the influence that his own faith has had on his writing, Chris paused and reflected before responding.
“You try to keep your spirituality out of sports writing, but it has influenced me,” he said. “It has always been there because it’s such an important part of my life.”
By Joe Pisani
